Parodies and spoofs: non-fiction Books

Book SynopsisThe world of Westminster laid bare in cool, understated prose brimming with irony and complemented by Martin Rowson's sharp, satirical drawings.A brief guide to how democracy works, or fails to work. The big answers to all the questions you should have asked, but never did-but here it is: your guide to democracy, elections, referendums and what lurks in cyber space. The hilarious joint creation of Bob Marshall Andrews, author, barrister, former Labour MP for Medway, thorn in Tony Blair's side and multi award winning cartoonist Martin Rowson.

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Book SynopsisA New York Times bestselling feminist author’s sparkling memoir of gender transition (among many other things). Reasons for Transitioning: Want to impress good-looking ex; Want to upset good-looking ex; Bored of existing wardrobe, looking for excuse to buy all-new clothes that don’t fit in a new way; Younger siblings getting too much attention; Neoliberalism??; Want to sing both parts of a duet at karaoke; Something about upper-body strength; Excited to reinforce a different set of sexist stereotypes; Cheaper haircuts; Just love layering shirts ... From the beloved writer behind The Toast and Slate’s ‘Dear Prudence’ column comes a personal essay collection exploring popular culture, literature, religion, and sexuality. With wit and compassion, Daniel Mallory Ortberg revisits beloved cultural and literary figures in the light of his transition.Trade Review‘Ortberg’s playful takes on pop culture as he explores everything from House Hunters to Golden Girls to Lord Byron, Lacan, and Rilke … Ortberg’s writing is vulnerable but confident, specific but never narrow, literal and lyrical. The author is refreshingly unafraid of his own uncertainty, but he’s always definitive where it counts … You'll laugh, you'll cry, often both at once. Everyone should read this extraordinary book.’ STARRED REVIEW * Kirkus Reviews *‘At last, we have the work of transgender bathos we didn’t know we needed, but very much do … Ortberg’s narrative is anything but linear: It skips back in time to mythic Greece, traipses across the landscape of contemporary pop culture and, in one wonderfully fabulist entry that would make Carmen Maria Machado proud, slips outside of time altogether … One of our smartest, most inventive humour writers, Ortberg combines bathos and the devotional into a revelation … By broadening what transgender memoir can do, the author is in good company with Viviane Namaste, who decades ago diagnosed autobiography as ‘the only discourse in which transsexuals are permitted to speak.’ Ortberg partakes of neither the damaging trope of tragic transness nor the sentimental sanctimony that we are “permitted,” offering instead the comic and the transcendent.’ -- Jordy Rosenberg * The New York Times *‘A wonderfully weird book from one of America’s most original young humourists.’ -- Tristram Fane Saunders * The Telegraph *‘Ortberg does not simply narrate his experience of transition; he also grapples with the challenge of doing so, toggling skillfully between criticism, personal essay, and literary pastiche … Animated by Ortberg’s Christian faith and eclectic cultural enthusiasms, the book is a syllabus of sorts — a road map for navigating one remarkable writer’s mind.’ * The New Yorker *‘Deeply honest and often sidesplittingly funny.’ -- Michelle Hart * O: The Oprah Magazine *‘Daniel Mallory Ortberg’s Something That May Shock And Discredit You is three eloquent books in one: memoir, essay collection, and treasure trove of cultural analysis, all coming in under 250 pages. Ortberg is as nimble a storyteller as they come, so the shifts from painful personal revelations to pithy observations about Lord Byron turn on a dime while still mostly feeling part of the same whole … The details are all Ortberg, as is the ability to turn eschatology into something more accessible and less judgmental.’ -- Danette Chavez * The A.V Club *‘[A] memoir comprised of the humorous essays that have become his trademark … Some are essays and some are scripts or imagined conversations; at first the chapters and interludes are distinct, but at a certain point they start to blend together. All are hilarious, infused with the type of magical thinking Lavery excels at. They weave Lavery’s life experiences together with his historical and pop-cultural obsessions.’ -- Claire Landsbaum * Vanity Fair *‘A moving and insightful account of a complex emotional and physical journey, Something That May Shock and Discredit You is told with humour and takes shapeshifting form, leaping easily from pop culture references to biblical analysis, finely-tuned argument to satirical listicle, then back again.’ -- Cal Flyn * Five Books *‘This book is clever and strange and lovely and sad and hysterical and poignant. These are the qualities that make up most of my favourite people and all of my favourite books. You really need to read this now.’ -- Jenny Lawson, New York Times bestselling author of Let’s Pretend This Never Happened and Furiously Happy‘Slate advice columnist Ortberg (Texts from Jane Eyre) brings the full force of his wit and literary depth to this genre-bending essay collection. Describing it as ‘memoir-adjacent,’ Ortberg intersperses searingly honest passages about his journey as a transgender man with laugh-out-loud funny literary pastiche ... Ortberg provides an often hilarious, sometimes discomfiting, but invariably honest account of one man’s becoming.’ * Publishers Weekly *‘Like all of his work, Something That May Shock and Discredit You is a stand-alone pillar in Ortberg’s remarkable canon, one in which the lines typically drawn around topic and genre are obliterated, resulting in a wide-open field of possibility.’ * Electric Literature *‘[A] hybrid of incisive cultural criticism and heartfelt rumination on transitioning and queer identity.’ -- Erin Keane, Ashlie D. Stevens, and Hanh Nguyen * Salon *‘With this collection of essays, he will make you laugh and cry with stories of transition, family, culture and William Shatner.’ -- Karla Strand * Ms. *‘[Ortberg] puts his dazzling wit and humour on display in a ‘memoir-adjacent’ collection of essays that touches on topics as wide-ranging as Lord Byron, the Bible and House Hunters in his exploration of self as a transgender man.’ -- Barbara VanDenburgh * USA Today *‘The ‘Dear Prudence’ columnist and expert culture commentator returns with his sharpest, wittiest collection yet, a survey of pop culture ranging from scathing to plain weird.’ -- David Canfield * Entertainment Weekly *‘[A] fusion of old and new Ortberg work. It’s a collection of chapters and fragments, pieces that refuse single identities … The intensity of emotion and self-centredness are stripped of their high language, and become vividly queer, utterly recognisable, and essential to the gender mode that Ortberg himself is learning to express throughout this collection … Ortberg is perhaps closer than any other writer to functioning as the voice of progressive millennials … Every movement of Ortberg’s writing as he considers gender is hesitant, and his use of upspeak inflection both satirises the femininity associated with that questioning tone and engages with it genuinely. There must be a space between being prepared to mock gender norms and being deeply uncertain about them. The sincerity beneath the humour is new in Ortberg’s work, and powerful and well as disconcerting … The book is emotionally effective, but not always entirely accessible. In many ways, Ortberg’s transition is likely to be less alien to many readers than his deep Biblical knowledge … Ortberg’s least accessible book, but also his most important. Unlike his earlier work, Shock and Discredit must be read slowly, and with reflection. It’s not always easy. The breezy humour sometimes dives deep into New Testament referentiality without actually gesturing to deep faith. Read slowly to keep from flailing. Ortberg’s writing will wait for you to catch up.’ -- Annette Lapointe * The New York Journal of Books *‘A bundle of short, eclectic and wonderfully funny essays.’ * The Telegraph *‘A … kind of glee animates Ortberg’s writing, and it rushes all the way through this thoughtful, joyous book. Even when Something That May Shock and Discredit You delves into difficult material … Ortberg always writes with a sense of profound and honest delight: What luck, it’s another day where he gets to be a man. And reading, you can’t help but be delighted with him … This book is odd and self-satisfied and bizarrely specific, in all the best possible ways. Consistently, it’s funny … But Something That May Shock and Discredit You is also tenderly, gently thoughtful about gender and about what it means to transition, especially for someone like Ortberg, who built a public reputation as a feminist running a women’s website before coming out … Something That May Shock and Discredit You is not precisely an explanation for everyone who was wondering why the person they first knew as Mallory Ortberg is now Daniel M. Lavery. It is neither apologetic nor self-justifying, and Ortberg remains very clear on the fact that he does not owe an explanation about himself or his gender to anyone … Instead, this book reads like an exploration — a funny, gentle, thoughtful exploration — of how Ortberg sees the world, and how transitioning affected the lens through which he sees it. Reading it feels like reading the Toast felt in 2013, which is to say it feels like coming into contact with a restless and smart mind of profound and specific hyperfixations. It’s a joy.’ -- Constance Grady * Vox *‘Something That May Shock and Discredit You offers a vital account of transition and gender identity … [It] allows space for confusion and uncertainty, while also offering the wisdom of hindsight … [It] is funny while remaining sincere, and is inventive in its use of different forms to explore various aspects of his experiences.’ -- Erin Stewart * ArtsHub *‘Daniel Lavery ... has penned a book ostensibly about the experience of transition, but effortlessly traverses religion, philosophy… and William Shatner? In Something That May Shock and Discredit You Lavery’s innermost expressions of vulnerability are rendered with remarkable candour in some passages. Other passages are flat-out hilarious. All, however, are poignant.’ -- Dan Shaw * Happy Magazine *‘Inimitably witty.’ -- Nicole Elphick * The Age *‘Ortberg gracefully slips between the memoirist’s lucid personal narrative and the essayist’s more topical ruminations. Passage after passage sees him refining a riveting intertextual portrait of his life and transness fit for the pages of an illuminated manuscript … Discarding any distinction between high and low cultures, Ortberg’s Something that May Shock and Discredit You most certainly astonishes and amazes — it may even be transformative.’ -- Dave Wheeler * Shelf Awareness *‘Written almost as a stream of consciousness, this genre-bending work by Slate columnist Ortberg blends memoir, social commentary, and biblical exegesis in a series of essays that reflect an evolving sense of identity. Similar to his work as co-founder of The Toast, Ortberg’s brief chapters here expand on topics serious and challenging, humorous and trivial … This account of a vulnerable life makes for contemplative reading.’ -- Stephanie Sendaula * Library Journal *‘For those who have no firsthand experience of gender transitioning, this book is an education in empathy, solidarity and compassion, and an ode to the courage and resilience of transgender people. It’ll make you think, laugh and maybe reconsider some of your preconceptions about gender. If nothing else, you’ll never look at the Bible the same way again.’ -- Zoya Patel * The Canberra Times *‘Part satire, part confessional and all utterly original, Lavery’s third book is a wild rollercoaster of a read that defies definition. It’s a riotous stew of diarist self-examination, taut comic sketches, and queer readings … At a moment of renewed global transphobia, when Leslie Feinberg’s tragic Stone Butch Blues remains the touchstone of transmasculine literature, Lavery’s kaleidoscopic memoir is a refreshing reminder of the possibility of trans irreverence, trans peace — even trans joy.’ -- Yves Rees * Inside Story *Praise for The Merry Spinster: ‘A wholly satisfying blend of silliness, feminist critique, and deft prose makes this a collection of bedtime stories that will keep you up at night for all the right reasons.’ STARRED REVIEW * Kirkus Reviews *Praise for The Merry Spinster: ‘Unlike most modern versions of fairy tales, Ortberg's sly, scathing renditions avoid clichés and self-referential edginess, and instead strike directly at the heart … The book brings the shock of the new and the shock of recognition into play at the same time; it's a tour de force of skill, daring, and hard-earned bravura.’ * Publishers Weekly *A New York Times bestselling author’s sparkling memoir of changing genders whilst remaining a feminist.Praise for Texts from Jane Eyre: ‘Humourist Ortberg offers a side-splitting take on famous literary characters from Gilgamesh to Hermione Granger by peeking into their imagined text messages … Ortberg charmingly captures, in short, palatable bytes, what is most memorable about famous books and their indelible characters.’ * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisLife isn't easy when you have to learn all the ins and outs of joining the royal family. From brushes with the law to disastrous shooting outings, discover all the things that probably didn't happen when Harry met Meghan but would have been funny if they had. What were they doing behind those closed royal doors that caused so much confusion and how did Meghan try to impress the Royal family and adopt British behaviour? Could you really blame her when things didn't work out as planned and she wore the wrong clothes for the occasion and was confused about strange eating habits, driving rules, speaking manners and the importance of personalized toilet seats. No doubt Meghan will shine and prove her shooting skills during her first Christmas at Sandringham . . . well, maybe.Table of ContentsThe Blind Date; The Dogs; Wellygate; The roast Chicken; The Baptism; at Buckingham Palace; Dinner for More Than one; The screw-up; The Driving lesson; The riding out; The Bootcamp; The Kidnap Training; The Kid's Birthday Party; Shooting at Sandringham

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Book SynopsisIn 1878 Gustave Flaubert looked on in horror as his publisher picked up a manuscript from the mysterious stage actress Sarah Bernhardt and published it in place of a new edition of his latest work, and watched it go on to become an instant bestseller, achieving international fame. Narrated by a chair in a hot-air balloon, In the Clouds is a light-hearted, humorous tale that follows a character reminiscent of Bernhardt through the skies above Paris. Sadly the story sunk into obscurity, lying out of print in the English language for much of the twentieth century. Featuring the original illustrations by Georges Clairin, and in a fresh edit of the first English translation, this edition seeks to bring the tale to a new generation of readers.Trade Review'Apart from its highly original premise… its jaunty style proved her to be a lively, amusing writer.' (Robert Gottlieb)Table of ContentsIn the Clouds, Note on the Text and Illustrations, Notes, Biographical Note

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Book SynopsisThe State of LinkedIn is a collection of incredulous and hysterical posts from LinkedIn, exposing the brown-nosing and narcissism that occurs on the professional network, shining a hilarious light on the un-truths of the corporate world.

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Book SynopsisYour exes as the creeps of the deep sea. While there may be plenty of fish in the sea, the ones down deep may not be worth catching. Deep-sea Creeps is a taxonomy of those terrible exes that should have been left lurking in the murky depths of your Tinder messages – from The Self-Proclaimed ‘Nice Guy’ to The Egomaniac, and even The Ex Who Wanted To Break Up (But Wanted You To Do It). This hilarious oceanographic expedition is for anyone who’s cut a loser from their line, and will (hopefully) help identify the next creep before you reel him in.

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Book SynopsisThis book is edited by the team at Smith Street Books who love feeling deeply judged by the cats of the world.

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Book Synopsis‘Doodle with Intent’ is a new illustrated Art Story series by Dude Ll.A nonsensical picture book with 116 illustrated pages of whimsical pen and ink, and brush and ink doodles, with a short cryptic tale about the quirky good in life.It is a picture book for adults- (but it is not X-rated), that reminds us of the random oddities and complexities at play in nature and our lives.

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Book SynopsisYour ideas, memories, wishes and dreams are worth recording. Keep them forever inside this journal. The padded hardcover isn't just beautiful; it's sturdy and durable. And with 160 lined pages, the journal will last you a long time. It's perfect for travel, garden notes, sketching and personal reflection. Get yours today.

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Book SynopsisThe perfect hardcover gift book for anyone head-over-hooves for unicorns, flying horses, or little ponies! "For all those little lords and ladies who adore unicorns, this book is the bedtime story for them! The illustrations are top-notch and beautifully colored. The prose is perfect. Highly recommended." -- The Children's Book Review As night falls in the enchanted forest, the unicorns and their friends gather to get ready for bed. Say goodnight to all the types of unicorns -- the pearly-whites, the foals, the oldens, the fluffies, the jet-blacks, the cuties, and more -- as well as the wonderful beings who attend them, from rainbows and fairies to baby dragons and, of course, the full moon. Readers who've always wondered about unicorn habits, what a group of unicorns is called, and other mysteries will also be captivated by the fun unicorn facts that follow the story. It's a magical, fantasy bedtime story for unicorn lovers young and young-at-heart! Grown-up fans of My Little Pony, The Last Unicorn, and Lisa Frank will treasure this book just as much as the new generation of unicornophiles!Trade Review"Touching, sweet, and full of fun, Goodnight Unicorn is a magical addition to any child's bookshelf. This perfect bedtime story will surely have boys and girls dreaming happily of unicorns. A story to read over and over!"-- Jessica Burkhart, author of the Unicorn Magic series "A truly whimsical way to gallop into the sweetest of dreams!" -- Jessica S. Marquis, author of Raising Unicorns "This brilliant parody of the nighttime classic will have fantasy lovers clamoring for more. The author charmingly sends the reader swirling into a world of enchantment. A must have for all unicorn lovers, young and old."-- Pam Calvert, author of Princess Peepers "This sweet parody of the beloved children's book will horn its way into your family's heart." -- POPSUGAR "Full of whimsy and beautiful illustrations...a wonderful bedtime read for unicorn lovers, Goodnight Moon lovers, and fanciful story lovers alike. My little one has requested it every night." -- Jessica Leigh "It's literally impossible for any child to not fall in love with this picture book. Love unicorns? You'll love this perfect bedtime story." -- Book Room Reviews "I enjoyed this book thoroughly, from the beautiful, lyrical language to the bright, whimsical illustrations, depicting a myriad of mythical (and adorable) creatures, including fairies, trolls, gnomes, and more." -- Frog on a Blog "If you're looking for a story that will help ease a young unicorn fan into sleep , the gentle rhyme and lovely text in this book might do exactly that." -- Bookworm for Kids "Any child who is captivated by unicorns will love this book!" - Carmen Gordon

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Book SynopsisFor eons, King Oblivion, Ph.D., was one of the most ruthless supervillains the world has ever known. As the CEO of the ISS (International Society of Supervillains) for half a century, he was personally responsible for numerous nefarious acts, including Nixon’s presidential election, stealing the country of Japan, Star Wars: Episode I–III, and Milli Vanilli, just to name a few.Since his untimely (and inexplicable) passing, Matt D. Wilson, who was found rotting in one of Oblivion’s numerous dungeons, has discovered in his giant lair (located in the Earth’s mantle) what seems to be the early workings of the villain’s ultimate manifesto. Though in-depth research (and paper cuts), Wilson reviewed endless documents and has compiled numerous unedited chapters, email correspondences, and various threats which combine tell the “life story” of this anti-hero.Supreme Villainy is an intimate look into the mastermind who once ruled the globe with an iron fist (and ray gun). For the first time ever, readers will learn of his birth (which has never been noted on record), rise to power, and domination of the world as we know it today. Revealed inside are never-before-seen notes, interviews, and personal letters which, now collected, show a glimpse into the once-infamous villain’s uncompleted manuscript, and maybe a hint into who the real man was behind that horrible mask.Trade Review“Supreme Villainy is the best supervillain memoir since The Art of the Deal.” —Mike Lawrence, comedian and writer “While we have all lived for decades in fear of King Oblivion’s sinister machinations, Wilson’s thorough biography is a witty, irreverent, and genuinely hilarious take on the mind of history’s greatest monster.” —Chris Sims, writer of X-Men ’92 and Deadpool: Bad Blood “They say that history is written by the winners, and that’s certainly the case for the supervillain known as ‘King Oblivion Ph.D,’ whose reign over the world lasted for decades and saw him responsible for some of the most heinous acts in history. Truly, his history is terrifying and dastardly one.” —Steve Morris, CBR.com “Oblivion and Wilson’s genre-defying meta-memoir had me cowering with laughter. Buy it, as your King commands.” —Daniel Kibblesmith, writer, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert "Legendary supervillain King Oblivion, Ph.D., recounts his century-long life of evil and mayhem. Wilson pieces together the contradictions, lies, and self-aggrandizing braggadocio to paint a picture of a villain who never fails except on purpose, and whose setbacks are all according to plan. . . . [King Oblivion is] an unreliable, unsympathetic narrator who will undoubtedly incinerate this reviewer in due time." —Publishers Weekly “Thanks to this exhaustively researched book, I finally know the ‘inside scoop’ on King Oblivion, the man who burned down my village and disintegrated my family!” —Geoffrey Golden & Amanda Meadows, The Devastator “On one level, it’s a funny, clever satire of the pop culture villains of a classic mold, done with a surprisingly light touch given the number of people consumed by sharks. On another level, it’s pretty much a guidebook for our modern cultural scene, and doubtless will be taken as non-fiction once our real-life megalomaniacs catch up to King Oblivion. Get the well-earned laughs out of Supreme Villainy now, because it will soon be taught in schools.” —Ross Johnson, B&N.com Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog“Supreme Villainy is the best supervillain memoir since The Art of the Deal.”—Mike Lawrence, comedian and writer “While we have all lived for decades in fear of King Oblivion’s sinister machinations, Wilson’s thorough biography is a witty, irreverent, and genuinely hilarious take on the mind of history’s greatest monster.” —Chris Sims, writer of X-Men ’92 and Deadpool: Bad Blood“They say that history is written by the winners, and that’s certainly the case for the supervillain known as ‘King Oblivion Ph.D,’ whose reign over the world lasted for decades and saw him responsible for some of the most heinous acts in history. Truly, his history is terrifying and dastardly one.”—Steve Morris, CBR.com“Oblivion and Wilson’s genre-defying meta-memoir had me cowering with laughter. Buy it, as your King commands.”—Daniel Kibblesmith, writer, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert "Legendary supervillain King Oblivion, Ph.D., recounts his century-long life of evil and mayhem. Wilson pieces together the contradictions, lies, and self-aggrandizing braggadocio to paint a picture of a villain who never fails except on purpose, and whose setbacks are all according to plan. . . . [King Oblivion is] an unreliable, unsympathetic narrator who will undoubtedly incinerate this reviewer in due time." —Publishers Weekly “Thanks to this exhaustively researched book, I finally know the ‘inside scoop’ on King Oblivion, the man who burned down my village and disintegrated my family!” —Geoffrey Golden & Amanda Meadows, The Devastator“On one level, it’s a funny, clever satire of the pop culture villains of a classic mold, done with a surprisingly light touch given the number of people consumed by sharks. On another level, it’s pretty much a guidebook for our modern cultural scene, and doubtless will be taken as non-fiction once our real-life megalomaniacs catch up to King Oblivion. Get the well-earned laughs out of Supreme Villainy now, because it will soon be taught in schools.” —Ross Johnson, B&N.com Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog

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Book SynopsisThis delightful little paperback consists of humorously inventive fictionalized artist statements. The recent explosion of interest in academic art programs around the world has led to a dramatic increase in overwritten, hyperbolic artist statements. I Write Artist Statements skewers popular art school clichés while describing impossible projects that simply could not exist off of the printed page.

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Book Synopsis"A comically committed exploration of current life-hacking wisdom in areas ranging from athletic and intellectual prowess to spirituality, creativity, wealth, and pleasure." —The New Yorker In these pages, the authors of the widely-acclaimed Wellness Syndrome throw themselves headlong into the techniques of self-optimization, a burgeoning movement that seeks to transcend the limits placed on us as mere humans, whether the feebleness of our bodies or our mental incapacities. Cederstrom and Spicer, devoted each month of a roller coaster year to a different way of improving themselves: January was Productivity, February their bodies, March their brains. June was for sex and September for money. Perhaps the trickiest was April, a month devoted to relationships, when their feelings for each other came under the microscope, with results that were both hilarious and painful. Carl thought Andre was only “dialing it in,” Andre felt Carl was too controlling. In fact, both proved themselves willing guinea pigs in an extraordinary (and sometimes downright dangerous) range of techniques and technologies, had hitherto undertaken little by way of self-improvement. They had rarely seen the inside of a gym, let alone utilized apps that deliver electric shocks in pursuit of improved concentration. They wore head-bands designed to optimize sleep, and attempted to boost their memory through learning associative techniques (failing to be admitted to MENSA bit learning pi to 1,000 digits), trained for weightlifting competitions, wrote what they (still) hope might become a bestselling Scandinavian detective story, attended motivational seminars and tantra workshops, went on new-age retreats and man-camps, and experimented with sex toys and productivity drugs. Andre even addressed a London subway car whilst (nearly) naked in an attempt to overcome a negative body image. Somewhat surprisingly, the two young professors survived this year of rigorous research. Further, they produced a hilarious and eye-opening book based upon it. Written in the form of two parallel diaries, Desperately Seeking Self-Improvement provides a biting analysis of the narcissism and individual competitiveness that increasingly pervades a culture in which social solutions are receding and individual self-improvement is the only option left.Trade ReviewPraise for Desperately Seeking Self-Improvement "A comically committed exploration of current life-hacking wisdom in areas ranging from athletic and intellectual prowess to spirituality, creativity, wealth, and pleasure." —The New Yorker "An absurdist masterpiece." —The Guardian "Beautifully observed and incredibly conceived, this account of a self-imposed ordeal has the chilling quality of a true nightmare. It is the dark side of the moon of Tim Ferriss." —Tom McCarthy "Two crazy people try numerous crazy strategies, all so I don't have to. I call that a result!" —Lee Child, author "A good-natured, thoughtful, and often comic joyride." —Kirkus Reviews Praise for The Wellness Syndrome “Carl Cederström and André Spicer’s brilliantly sardonic anatomy of this “wellness syndrome ”concentrates on the ways in which the pressure to be well operates as a moralising command and obliterates political engagement... These authors would no doubt agree that there is nothing wrong with being well or wanting to be well. But, as their deeply humane and persuasive book shows, being told to be well is a different matter entirely. A society where wellness is obligatory is a sick one. ” —Steven Poole, The Guardian "When I read their angry, hilarious book, The Wellness Syndrome, I felt like I was being shaken awake from a dream. ” —Helen Rumbelow, The Times “My underlying scepticism about society's single-minded quest for physical perfection was validated when I came across The Wellness Syndrome. Like me, the authors don't have any gripes about wellness per se… but what they are concerned about is how wellness has become an ideology. The more we focus on our own wellness, the book argues, the more we alienate others and the more isolated we become... By spending so much time looking inward, in a relentless pursuit for the ideal body and state of mind, we pay less attention to the wider world and its ills. ”
—Gabrielle Monghan, Irish Independent “Short, brilliant and bracing, The Wellness Syndrome is the Brave New World de nos jours, a mordant satire on our contemporary mores... I pray that the authors will put a lot of life coaches (and celebrity chefs and similar fraudsters) out of business. ” —Andy Martin, Literary Review “The book’s great virtue is its lightness of theoretical touch, which combines Darwin-award style tales of idiocy with punchy commentary to make for the kind of readability conducive to cult status among undergraduates. ” —Gerald Moore, Radical Philosophy

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Book SynopsisJust in time for the Apocalypse comes a new Biblical scripture from God and thirteen-time Emmy Award-winning comedy writer David Javerbaum.3,000 years ago, King David wrote The Book of Psalms—hymns in praise of God that became famous worldwide. Now, with humanity on the verge of a self-generated catastrophe, God (with the help of another David) has decided to return, and reverse, the favor. God has collected a cornucopia of insults of the human race in the form of prose, poetry, and parody. From topics as diverse as COVID-19, Trump, racism, abortion, meth, math, and on a lighter note, the platypus, God provides a 21st-century spin on life’s many problems. And he’s not alone: his son Jesus Christ has contributed thirty sermons of his own, updating some of his Biblical teachings for the modern audience. Even the Holy Ghost stops by to make sure you don’t forget him. Anybody who’s a fan @TheTweetofGod and/or NOT a fan of the huma

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Book SynopsisFrom the brilliantly demented minds behind The Eric Andre Show and Bad Trip, an insane illustrated compendium about the art of pranking. Eric André is a master of the art of pranking—“an Andy Kaufman for the Four Loko generation,” as Spin magazine once hailed him. For over a decade, he and longtime collaborator Dan Curry have dreamed up and performed a cornucopia of outrageous, often illegal, and always death-defying hijinks for the Adult Swim series The Eric Andre Show, as well as in the hit movie Bad Trip. Now, in their very first book, Eric and Dan reveal the secret fuel behind their surrealistic prank machine. Get ready to gorge your thirsty peepers on epic stories of shame, redemption, and glory behind pranks so dumb they’re brilliant…and beyond the realm of criticism. But wait, there’s more! This pranktastic potpourri includes: -Tips for prankers of any skill level, from the importance of a “safe word” to why you should always keep the camera rolling, even after the prank is over. -All new pranks to try at home such as “Jell-O Surprise,” “Benadryl Steaks,” “Amateur Graverobber” and “The Jim Morrison.” -Wild behind-the-scenes stories about the most classic pranks from The Eric Andre Show and Bad Trip. -Learn about the dark existential dread behind everyone’s favorite mac-and-cheese-spurting DJ, Kraft Punk. -Discover how Eric avoided getting stabbed when a penis-in-a-finger-trap prank went horribly wrong. -Exclusive never-before-filmed pranks deemed too hot for TV. -Inspirational quotes from philosophers so obscure that they might not even exist. Artfully designed, loaded with funny photos, and a gracious foreblurb by Jack Black, Dumb Ideas is an essential manual for getting a laugh out of friends, family, and complete strangers—and staying out of jail while doing it.

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Book SynopsisThis book is described as being 'in a genre all its own'. Truly it is. Simeon the cat has two ambitions. the first is to become famous, which is why he writes this book, and the second is to meet the White Rabbit. While pursuing these goals, he takes time to air his views on Oxford, Mr Bean, the internet, on how the British do not value words, and on a while host of other things. He guides us through Oxford's history, landmarks and legends, and provides an entertaining and original introduction to the city. Over-confident in his ability to reason, he enjoys talking with academics and students. All use their real names in the story - Profs of Physics and Medieval German, and postgraduate students. He creates havoc in Blackwell's, discovers an unpublished poem. by Gerard Manley Hopkins, and lays plans to take the grin off the face of the Cheshire Cat. Does he really meet the White Rabbit? It seems he does! Oxford is unique in so many ways. It is the only city in the world where one is in and out of stories all the time. Morse, Mr Bean, Bridgehead, Dickens, Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter. There is no book that does the job of this one in linking story to reality. It's laugh-out-loud funny, in a dry, sixth-form-humour way. You'll love it!Table of ContentsHow it all began. PREFACE By the typist PART I: Simeon, a Very Oxford Cat PART II Simeon's First Big Adventure PREFACE TO PART III By the typist: Preparing for Simeon's next trip PART III The first day of the following month

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